This is quite a debate. Gingrich called the questions asked by Chris Wallace, ‘Mickey Mouse questions.’ Is it fair for the press to take their own talking points to grill the candidates about said talking points? So far, I can spot some winners.
If you had to pull 4 to move ahead and 4 to stay back, just based on debate performance, who would you allow to advance to the next level?
Michele Bachmann? Herman Cain? Newt Gingrich? Jon Huntsmand? Ron Paul? Tim Pawlenty? Mitt Romney? Rick Santorum?
Funny how all the questions that ask Gingrich to explain contradictions using his exact quotes are “gotcha questions.” Looks like he’s intent on playing the Palin card.
Mr. and Mrs. Victim? @ Moe
Santorum is also throwing a fit. Michele had to go to the bathroom in the middle of it. You sorta have to respect that she just exited during the commericial break.
Actually I sort of like it that Newt told off Chris and Brett. They were attacking all the candidates. I have disliked Brett Baier ever since he interrupted the president 50 times on one interview. It was just rude.
Ron Paul is always amazing, isn’t he? He really doesn’t fit a mold. This debate is actually fun. So are Palin and Perry going to miss all the fire works and just come swooping in on their white steeds?
Here come social issues………Da dahhhhh da dahhhhhh da dahhhhhhh
I think for Palin and perhaps Perry, too, avoiding having to think and respond to questions on the fly in front of a national audience is good damage avoidance. I kind of like Ron Paul.
@Moe, I like him too in an unelectable sort of way. He dares to be different.
Pawlenty really kicked Bachmann’s butt. He was right in pointing out that she hasn’t done a damn thing since she’s been in Congress, except yelling and waiving her arms up and down. We should expect more from our elected officials aside from yelling and waiving one’s arms up and down.
The analysts on Morning Joe more or less concluded that he also took himself out of the running in doing that, but that he did expose her weak underbelly. @Starry
I hear what you’re saying about Perry, but I want to see it for myself. He might very well get up there and sound as crazy as Santorum, but I want him to show me. Luckily, the looney left is still focused on Palin.
Romney scored a couple of points, then lost them on foreign policy. Thus far, I would still rather vote for the only guy telling the truth , Paul, and have 4 more years of Obama (sealing the fate of the US), than contribute to prolonging the pain.
Why vote for Perry if you can simply write in “Jesus”? No need for a middle man.
Too funny! @Starry.
Perry has some connections to some strange religious people. Looking at those who rang up his prayer rally is a place to start looking at the off-beat and the kool aid drinkers.
Here is something to further your hypothesis, Starry. Shudder!
This Forrest Wilder with the Texas Observer is all over this.
http://www.texasobserver.org/media/video/Forrest-Maddow.html
This other one is long but very much worth watching:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#44098787
There is nothing so informative as watching the looney left discuss the nuances of conservative politics. It is similar to watching chimps fling their own poo around at the zoo.
they would all reject a 10 to 1 plan (cut $10 for a $1 increase in taxes) – does that also mean that they would reject tax reform?
Uncle Paul definitely scores some points.
Was Fox biased, in that some of the candidates did seem to get more time and attention – Santorum was not happy that he was being left out. And, then they were entertaining the inter-candidate debates by giving them more time.
I wasn’t terribly impressed with how the debate was handled. Fox is funny..they absolutely shut Santorum out (which was cool with me) and gave Paul plenty of time, but then they totally ignore Paul any other time. There is a lot of confusion flying around about pledges, no raising of taxes, and actual tax reform. A LOT of confusion. Well, actually it’s a little confusion and a LOT of political BS.
Keep an eye on Rick Perry’s association with the New Apostalic Reformation Movement who he got to sponsor his rally last weekend.
Americans might want to find out more about this movement and its association to politics.
@Slowpoke Rodriguez
Pokie, it was a funny comment. You aren’t our only court jester! Share the stage, iRubber-dog-crap man.
Speaking of conservatives, enlighten us about the New Apostalic Reformation folks.
@Pat and Pokie,
Those Fox questions were really loaded and unfair to some of the candidates. Not everyone got a zinger. Newt was very right to call them on it. They aren’t even fair and balanced to their own kind.
I actually agree with both of you if I step back and allow objectivity. I felt Wallace and Baer went after some of the candidates and ignored others.
For me to say I am in the Newtster’s camp? Strange day. But they attacked him. I was glad to see him come back swinging.
Both of those fox men will get theirs one of these days. They are way too smug. Baer is almost a bully.
Markets are looking good so far. Keep our fingers crossed.
Does our local F-word start today?
@Starryflights
Because the ” Messiah” is already in office. Just ask those people that were chanting his name during his campaign. Heck, I personally know people that think that he is some sort of savior.
I missed all the fun last night, fighting a migraine. Since I haven’t read or heard anything about it, let me guess.
Romney came out on top. Paul spoke best about the budget. Gingrich was a policy wonk. Bachmann was the ideologue. Pawlenty was charismatically challenged. Santorum, you’ve told me, was shut out. Which goes along with my reading that he believes his own press. Santorum has as much chance as Cain, and HIS campaign is not taking off.
As for Huntsman….who’s he? (I do know.)
Never heard of ’em. Probably not important. But like I said, I want to see it for myself. I might very well come to the same conclusion about Perry as you, but I want to see him up there articulating (hopefully) and defending his positions.
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2011/08/12/the-horserace-for-august-12-2011/
Here’s a rundown of the debate as seen through a conservative activist’s eyes.
In my #21, I forgot to add, Paul probably embarrassed himself with a foreign policy statement. As usual.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Apostolic_Reformation
Seems much ado about nothing. Critics abound that disagree with the theology, but, then, to a Roman Catholic, ALL of the Protestants are wrong. So….. not much to see here.
In an interview with the Daily Beast Gov. Perry suggests abolishing the Medicare and Social Security programs. We’ll see how that resonates with voters, particularly seniors.
Perry: “I don’t think our founding fathers when they were putting the term “general welfare” in there were thinking about a federally operated program of pensions nor a federally operated program of health care. What they clearly said was that those were issues that the states need to address. Not the federal government. I stand very clear on that. From my perspective, the states could substantially better operate those programs if that’s what those states decided to do.”
He added: “Well, the counties of Matagorda, Bresoria, and Galveston in 1981 decided they wanted to opt out of this Social Security program. They have now very well funded programs and their employees are going to be substantially better taken care of then anybody in Social Security. So I would suggest a legitimate conversation about let the states keep their money and implement the programs.”
The complete interview is at: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/12/rick-perry-newsweek-interview-transcript.html
Rick perry also suggested that Texas seceed from the union. This was about 2 years ago.
hmmmm…..
That’s right, because we all know that the feds, whose average IQ is about that of your average beer-fart, are the ONLY ones who could possibly run a program.
Have I mentioned how I feel about bathroom humor? (stern look)
Someone clever described this debate as “the island of the misfit toys.”
@Cato, do you think they were that far off? The misfit toys seems to be a fairly good description with the exception of Romney.
@SlowpokeRodriguez
Slow – I hope you didn’t pull anything with the mental heft it took to come up with the beer-fart, fed gov’t, Perry plan syllogism. Get yourself an ice pack, put your feet up so some blood flows back to your head, and take it easy for awhile.
I thought his plan suggested the “D” he earned in undergraduate economics course might have been a gift from a soft-hearted professor.
Nah, it was easy!
Moe, you are presuming has anything in his head that letting blood go there would help. When shoe size and IQ are about the same, no amount of blood will help.
As to the Apostolic Reformation Movement. They look a lot like the American version of the Taliban.
Is the taliban that weird? Do they think that Oprah is part of the harlot brigade? I always thought Oprah was a good Christian black lady who kept giving back in unmatched generosity. When I saw those men who had graduated from Morehouse College over the years, all because she believed in them and made it possible, my heart filled up with pride to see the good she had done. Someone who repays and repays that much cannot even be considered anything but good.
Most of us didn’t realize the extent of Oprah’s generosity. She never forgot her roots.
@Moon-howler
No, I thought it was an apt description. If Perry doesn’t turn out to be Fred Thompson, he’s going to be a big problem from both Romney (1st) then Obama (2nd). Going after the guy on religion is just going to bring the victim card into play.
Perry wanted to seceed from the Union. He has a bunch of religious coalition folks who have very NON-mainstream religious beliefs. He can play the victim all he wants, and I will point out how absurd it is to think that the Japanese economy is flatlining because the sun goddess slept with the emperor.
The Texas ecomony is not in such hot shape either. He is going to be a bigger problem to Republicans than he is to me. Perry just has way too much Yahoo and good ole boy baggage to pass muster with middle America.
George! Did you miss a pronoun while trying to call someone else stupid? I hope I’m that cool some day! Must have really rung your bell to get you to stop experimenting with seat-removed bicycles and chime in!!
If that’s the best you have then you’re going to have to dig deeper. Because we all know that dredging up Rev. Wright and G-D America just decimated Obama’s candidacy back in 2008, and how Bob McDonnell’s thesis sank his campaign. Oh wait, no they didn’t, but go ahead and pee up that rope if you must.
Also, I don’t know what middle America you live in, but a lot of people eat that good-ole-boy, ride-em-cowboy, aw-shucks BS up. I don’t know if he has what it’s going to take to get past Romney’s money machine, but if it turns out that he’s not a dud he’s going to suck a lot of oxygen out of the race and make it Perry vs. Romney.
Yeah, the whole secession-thing will only appeal to the left, because they can’t allow the prosperous states to leave and stop paying for all their free goodies.
This isn’t America’s first rodeo with a tough talking millionaire evangelical Texas governor with a mediocre academic record and a supposed call from God to lead the country. After inheriting an extended period of peace and prosperity from Clinton, Bush promised us “A New Day” … and he delivered. It has been a perpetual period of war and economic decline ever since. If God is calling another tough talking millionaire evangelical Texas governor with a mediocre academic record to lead the country then we all need to pray and find out what we did to deserve such wrath and perhaps if we repent God will calling these kind to punish us. Enough of that “new day” stuff, what do we have to do to get back to the old peace and prosperity path we were on a decade ago?
Geez, Moe, I thought for a minute you were speaking of Lyndon Johnson until I saw the evangelical part and a calling from God. I guess that would disqualify him as an answer. Too much bourbon and branch there to be knockin’ on Heavens door.
Hunstman does not get an A for his performance, but I think he’s someone to watch.
What I find amazing is that there are people trying to avoid both Huntsman and Romney because they are Mormon but not flinching an iota because of the crowd who sponsored the Perry rally last Saturday. I find the Perry rally sponsors far more disturbing.
Thank Fox news won the debate. To my great surprise, they didn’t offer
up many soft pitches nor act as the PR arm of the far right wing of the GOP
— at least for one night.
The networks won. The public lost. Those “debates” that allow only a few minutes, at most, for answers are absurd.
The debates should be between candidates, at most, a few at a time. In fact, we don’t need the networks. The candidates should schedule a debate, challenging each other, one on one. If the networks think that its worthwhile, they’ll send a camera. If not, oh well. The audience, especially if held at a college, will have it streaming live on the web within minutes.
The speeches at the straw poll aren’t much better – long on cliche’s and soundbytes and very short on substance.
Heck, Moon, since the God of our religion is also known to be a forgiving deity, we might be surprised to find old LBJ up there as Majority Leader of the Heavenly Senate of Repentant Sinners.